Reviving old e-bike

[999zip999]

It is fine to keep the battery charged. You don't want to fully discharge as the rule, but charge after use. Only use 70 to 80% at most is best. I would charge once a month if not riding. Don't just forget about it for three months without charging.

 

[Learning Curve]

IT WORKS !!!!

Doing the happy dance!

There was no visible sparks or anything frightening.

If someone like me, who has no experience or aptitude for mechanical or electrical things, can revive an old ebike, probably anybody can! (I am an older woman from a generation when most girls did not learn these skills - or even learn that they could learn them)

I am recharging the battery now after the first short ride. While it is charging, I have left the battery connected to the controller via the Anderson Power Poles, but I switched the circuit breaker to Off. I hope this is OK. I have also left the battery in the box on it's side, with the lid off. Everything fits very exactly and as long as it is OK to charge the battery while it is still plugged into the controller, on it's side where I cannot see the lights, unless I need to check on the health of the battery, it seems it is better to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on all the connections that would happen if I remove and replace the battery with each charge cycle.

Is it OK if I usually leave the battery in the box during charging?

With the wires connected to the controller?

And if I plan to use the bike within a few hours. would it be OK to also leave the circuit breaker turned on?

As I understand it the circuit breaker will have a limited life span if it is used as an on and off switch (How I am using it) So avoiding unnecessary usage seems like it would be a good idea.

 

[amberwolf]

It's pretty much how I use mine. Breaker on mine is in negative side but it doesn't matter. ONce it's off there is no connection from pack to controller.

I have a separate charger input, so I cna charge with breaker on or off.

I turn mine off whenver not in use, and have been using the breaker that way for years now, since I installed it, at least four times a day. (on to go to work, off when I get there, on when I go home, off when I get there).

I don't know how many cycles our breakers are rated for.

 

[Learning Curve]

Awesome! I am glad to know I can use the circuit breaker as an On and Off switch for a long time with no worries. Makes it all a lot easier.

I also have a separate charger input.

Thanks to everyone here for all the assistance! It is really appreciated!

 

[999zip999]

Very proud of you for hanging in there and not giving up. And you have found Amberwolf as your mentor as you started to discombobulate your ebike to match A.W. . Now you need to strap on an old lawn chair for a more comfortable seat foe e.z. curzin.
Let us know how things work out. Careful you can get bite by the E.V. bug known to live somewhere here on E.S. . You have been warned.
Don't forget to.turn off your bike and not drain your battery for weeks. A common mistake in the cold wet up north.

 

[Learning Curve]

I am now working on some of the fine tuning, and am thinking it might be a good idea to replace the tires and inner tubes with something puncture resistant. The 20 inch 2.125 tires I have look reasonably substantial and I have never had a flat tire from a puncture yet, but when this happens to the rear wheel with the hub motor someday, I will probably need to get help if I have to remove the tire. I have managed to find someone 3 miles down the road that fixes ebikes, so instead of someday getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire, it may make better sense to plan to upgrade the tires and hire this guy to put them on at a convenient time when I can watch and learn how the back tire is removed and re-installed.

The information below has been helpful

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=58002&hilit=rear+hub+motor+tire+repair

I have been reading here and it sounds like a 2.25 16 inch moped tire would be a good fit for my bike.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=40123#p618508

I have found some made by Shinko that have the right dimensions. But as my bike has fenders which would get in the way of a tire that is any larger than the ones already on the bike, I am wondering if these tires have the same outer dimensions as the tires I have?

I would also get inner tubes and the ones I am looking at on Ebay are made for 16 x 2 to 2.25, or 2,25 to 2.50. Is the smaller tube the one I should be getting?

And as cheaper solution, would it make my tires more reliable to keep the tires I have and just replace the inner tubes? Or if I go the less expensive route, of just replacing the tubes, can I use the 16 x 2.25 inch moped tubes in the tires I have, or is there a good puncture resistant 2.125 x 20 inch bicycle inner tube which would be better? The inner tubes I have have awkward Dunlop/Woods valves, and when I started reviving the bike the rubber sleeves had completely rotted away ... I replaced these and everything is OK now, but the tires days may be limited... I would like to have replacement parts handy for when it needs them!

 

[Learning Curve]

My revived bike is still working well.

I ended up deciding to get a super thick slime inner tube for the back wheel that has the hub motor. That way I will not have to deal with repairing a complicated tire when I am in an inconvenient situation. One unexpected side benefit is that the extra weight of this inner tube helps the bike to feel more firmly connected to the ground. Not that I really noticed the bike was top heavy with 12 lbs of battery and box on the rear rack, but the increased stability with a heavier tire is noticeable.

To avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the battery as much as possible I have been leaving it sit uncharged after the 10 mile trip to the nearest small town, until I need to use it again. I have no way to test the voltage and am only guessing this is somewhere around 50 percent discharged. I know that I could do this 10 mile trip and have 4 miles of power left, using my old li-ion 10 amp hour battery, so I am guessing that for a 15 amp hour battery this 10 mile trip would leave the Lifepo4 battery close to 1/2 discharged.

But I am wondering if I have miscalculated, if it would be bad for the battery if it was 60 or 70 percent discharged and it was left to sit for a week before being fully charged up again? I understand that letting the battery get so low the BMS cuts it off is not a good thing, and that needs to be avoided, but I am wondering which is better if I have to choose between leaving the battery sit for 4 to 7 days fully charged, or less than 50 percent? (but not so low the battery is drained to cut off)

(edited to add) I more or less found an answer to my question about keeping the battery at less than 50% here

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forum...=40758&p=815131&hilit=lifepo4+storage#p815131